Jade Goody's special Xmas tradition for sons Bobby and Freddie before sad death
Late Big Brother star Jade Goody went above and beyond to make Christmas Day the most magical time for her sons, Bobby and Freddie, before she heartbreakingly died aged 27.
The mum-of-two, whose harrowing cervical cancer battle moved the nation when the illness took her life in 2009, went to 'such lengths' to make the festivities 'special' for her boys. Jeff Brazier, the father of her sons, remembers feeling in awe of her and says Christmas 'wasn't the same' after her death.
Speaking to The Mirror earlier this month, he recalled: "She was the best at Christmas. She went as far as putting out mince pies, festive characters and footprints on the floor. It was long before Elf on the Shelf was invented and I'd never seen anyone go to such lengths to make Christmas Day as special as she did."
After Jade's death, Christmas was a much sadder and darker time for her boys, Bobby and Freddie (WireImage)
Jeff sacrificed their old Christmas traditions to dedicate the morning entirely to their late mum (Instagram/jeffbrazier)When Jade was gone, everything changed for Bobby, then five, and Freddie, four, and Christmas became a much sadder and darker time. "I always wanted it to be a day they enjoyed, like any parent would, but then I quickly realised on the first Christmas that I'd made a mistake hoping we could get through the day without feeling sad or overwhelmed," he said. "I learned that it wasn't possible for Christmas to be the same anymore."
Jeff, then 30, sacrificed the family's usual Christmas Day traditions to dedicate the morning entirely to their late mum. "I learnt to make the morning all about their mum. So we would release balloons or do something special - and that's actually where our swimming in the sea tradition comes from. We would often go to a beach and just reflect. When you make the morning about mum, it gives you permission to enjoy the rest of the day and helps you recognise what's missing," Jeff explained.
Strictly's Molly Rainford and Tyler West fuel romance rumours while on tour
This year marks the 15th Christmas since Jade's untimely death, and they will spend it on a tranquil beach somewhere in the UK, running into ice-cold water together for their annual swim. "We have a tradition of travelling in the campervan to a beautiful coastline and going for a dip in the morning. We'll find somewhere really pretty near wherever we are to have our Christmas dinner. We're all looking forward to heading off on Christmas Eve," Jeff, now 44, said.
When Jade died, her final wish was that her sons would be looked after, and she left a £3million trust fund to pay for their private schooling. "One of her biggest wishes was for her kids to be healthy and happy," Jeff explained. "So the fact that 15 years on, they're all in one piece, I think I've fulfilled her wish." Jeff made sure to protect Bobby and Freddie from the media frenzy during their early years of grief, and said it was the "most natural decision" he could have made to keep them out of the public eye.
Bobby, now 20, has naturally found his way back into the spotlight as a model and actor, joining the cast of EastEnders and competing in this year's Strictly Come Dancing, and watching him grow makes Jeff beam with pride. "It all came together reasonably early in his young adult life and as a result, he's gone on to do things that make us all proud," Jeff said. "We know what he's faced and endured, and the fact that he is still such a shining light is amazing. He's making everybody proud and obviously, the most proud person in the world would've been his mum."
Jeff Brazier and son Freddie appear in a new Christmas-ad style video to launch a board game by Natwest aimed at raising awareness of common scams. 'All Mod Cons' will be available to play in select branches from December 1 so visit the website to see if your local branch is taking part.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
